


It's The Thought That Counts (2011)

by JennyB



Series: Advent 2011 [23]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Advent Challenge 2011, Feelings, First Kiss, Hate to Love, M/M, Podfic Available, Pranks and Practical Jokes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-23
Updated: 2011-12-23
Packaged: 2018-01-05 21:15:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1098668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JennyB/pseuds/JennyB
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During their high school career, Seto and Joey had a very special way to wish each other Merry Christmas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's The Thought That Counts (2011)

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Advent Challenge 2011. Prompt: Gift Exchange
> 
> Podfic (by the lovely Kansouame ♥♥) here: [Take a Listen!](http://www.mediafire.com/?xe54t3jqln7io1t)

Year One

Joey didn't know what possessed him to do it in the first place. One minute, he was sitting in his math class, pondering the mysteries of quadratic equations, and the next he was scribbling on a piece of notebook paper. The address had been easy enough to find, and he could even justify the cost of the stamp just to imagine the look on his face. He figured he'd probably get the shit beat out of him in the new year for it, but he couldn't help smirking nonetheless. It was going to be so worth it.

* * *

Seto arched a brow as he flipped through the stack of mail his secretary had brought him. There, nestled among all his other mail, was an envelope fashioned out of what looked to be industrial grade paper towel, and fastened along the edges with staples. He wondered how the hell it had even made it through the post in that condition. Nevertheless, he opened it and pulled out a folded piece of three-ring binder paper. On the front, with a ballpoint pen, someone had obviously traced around their hand and then filled in the 'detail' work of the fingers and fingernails. Seto recognized the gesture for what it was, and when he opened the 'card', it made perfect sense:

__

Money's short  
Times are hard  
Here's your fucking  
Christmas card.

Go fuck yourself, Kaiba! ^_^ __  
~Joey Wheeler

Seto snorted and crumpled it up in a ball before tossing it, and the envelope, into the trash. He worked for about five minutes before his eyes drifted back to the wastebasket, and his expression turned contemplative. With a smirk, he retrieved his gift from the garbage, smoothed it out, and stuck it in his briefcase. Then, he grabbed his coat. He had some shopping to do.

* * *

Joey was surprised when, two days later, he got a card in the mail. He opened it up, frowning when he saw a photograph of two people he didn't recognize on the front. They were wearing matching Christmas sweaters, the woman was wearing a striped scarf and a reindeer antler headband, while the man was holding their pet Shih-Tzu, and both were grinning inanely. He opened the card.

_~~Dear Aunt Agnes,~~ Wheeler,_

_Merry Christmas._

_I found the perfect gift for you downtown, but figured why pay for the whole hour, when you'd only use five minutes of her time anyway. Have this card I found in a dumpster instead. I'm sure you'll appreciate it._

_~~Lots of love to you,  
Frank and Mariam~~ _

_Go to hell,  
Seto Kaiba_

Joey blinked, and then he laughed. "Fucking asshole," he muttered as he stashed the card away in his desk drawer.

* * *

* * *

Year Two

Seto arched a brow when Roland came into his study a week before Christmas and placed a horribly wrapped package on his desk. It was small, and of an odd shape, and it was with some trepidation that he opened it. He was surprised to find a used, empty Styrofoam coffee cup - _sans_ lid - and when he pulled the folded up piece of paper from the top, he saw that the rest of the cup was stuffed with Kleenex. _Used_ Kleenex. Making a face, he swept the cup and contents into the trash, and then unfolded the note. He smirked when he saw it was, again, written on three-ring binder paper.

_Saw this, thought of you. I don't have a gift receipt, so hope you like it. Think of me when you're sick with the flu. It's more than you deserve._

_Blow me,  
Joey Wheeler_

The brunet carefully folded the slip of paper and put it into the front pocket of his valise. Of course, a gift required a gift in kind. And for this occasion, Seto knew it would have to be something special. Something that spoke from the heart. Something that said, 'I care'. He smiled wickedly. He had just the thing in mind.

* * *

Joey was extraordinarily happy when he received a package from a KaibaCorp courier two days before Christmas. He was certain that, whatever it was, it was going to be good. He just hoped it wasn't a vial with the Ebola virus in it or something - after all, there was one-upmanship, and then there was Kaiba-level one-upmanship, and the brunet had the means to completely fuck his shit up. He carried the box up to his room, removed the wrapping, and lifted the lid, shying away slightly in the event it was something explosive. He didn't hear any noise, so he peered into the large cardboard box, only to grimace in disgust when he realized what it was. Kaiba had shipped him a carton containing three dead mice and a single wrapped slice of processed cheese. "Fucking gross," he said as he dumped the contents out his bedroom window and onto the fire escape. Still, he couldn't help snickering, the sound turning to full-on laughter when he read the note.

_Have a happy holiday with all your friends. I'm looking forward to the FaceBook photos._

* * *

* * *

Year Three

By this point, Seto had begun to anticipate Joey's 'gifts' when Christmas drew near. And while he'd never say so, he was even beginning to look forward to them. It was something just the two of them shared beyond the usual bullshit they got into at school with Yugi and the rest of the blond's friends standing around. He was fairly confident that no one knew of their yearly exchange, and in an odd way, it made it kind of special for him. Still, he hadn't been anticipating this year's offering.

Joey had sent him an apron - if one could call it that. It looked like it had been crudely hacked off the giant plastic roll they used in the cafeteria to line the tables, and with red and green Sharpie, Joey had drawn various Christmas shapes such as snowflakes, Santa caps, and Christmas trees. He'd also written several delightful holiday sayings, such as, 'elf-fucker', 'goes ga-ga for Santa's sack', and his personal favourite, 'hoping for six to eight inches for Christmas'.

He smiled when he found the note tucked into one of the make-shift masking tape pockets:

_Thought I'd add a little style and taste to your wardrobe and get you away from that failed S &M experiment you love so much. It's a one of a kind original - figured you'd appreciate it. Besides, you were worth everything it cost to get this. Really, it was nothing._

_~Joey_

Seto snorted in amusement and filed the note away. As the unique Joey Wheeler original made its way into the trash, Seto thought about what he would get for the blond. It looked like Joey was expecting clothes this year.

* * *

On Christmas Eve, Joey received an envelope mailer. Curious, he tore off the tape strip, and slid the contents out onto his bed. He saw the note first:

_Congratulations! This is officially your most expensive piece of clothing. I hope it fits!_

Arching a brow, he unfolded the plastic bag that had been in the envelope, only to collapse into laughter when he realized what it was. Seto had taken a plastic suit protector from Nordstrom, cut out a couple of half-circles for his arms and one for his head, and drawn lapels and a boutonniere on the front. "Fucking bastard!" he said, even as he tried the thing on merely for shits and giggles. Then, he stowed the note away, taped up the holes, and used the bag to throw out the garbage that had been accumulating in his room.

* * *

* * *

Year Four

The fourth Christmas was their last year in school. In that time, he'd come to have a better appreciation of the enigma known as Seto Kaiba. Sure, the two of them still fought, nearly daily, but Joey got the impression that the brunet antagonized him not out of any real malice, but simply because he found it fun to do. And in that time, Joey had come to realize that he didn't _really_ believe Seto was the dick he often claimed he was. In fact, if he thought about it, he realized he actually kind of _liked_ the snarky brunet.

As the Christmas season rolled around, Joey found his heart wasn't really in it to send something offensive. He'd had a lot of fun over the past few years, but now that he was getting to the end of his high school career, he found himself wanting to have a different sort of friendship with the other. One that wasn't based solely on insults and trying to land the better prank.

He debated sending just a normal holiday card, but the more he thought about it, the less he wanted to do that, too. After all, something normal would just be one more card in a sea of cards. It wasn't special. Christmas Eve was the last day of school. In the middle of the afternoon he chanced a glance at Seto's desk, and was met with a withering glare in return. Joey was surprised by the hostility he sensed. To him, it almost felt like the brunet was disappointed. He half paid attention to the remainder of his classes, and just before the end of the day, he tore a sheet of three-ring binder paper from his notebook and scribbled a message for Seto:

_If you're not doing anything tonight, why don't you come over for a while around six?_

Joey lingered around for a few minutes after the bell rang, just long enough to see the brunet pick up the slip of paper, and then he headed home. Six o'clock came and went, and at quarter to eight, he tugged on his shoes and jacket and went out for a walk. He headed for the park, his hands stuffed deep into his pockets to keep warm, and he sighed heavily. He hadn't really expected Seto to come, but still, a part of him had hoped. He sat down on a park bench, and mentally berated himself for fucking up a good thing. It had been fun - at least for a while. He was surprised when a cup appeared in his line of vision, and he tipped his head back to see Seto standing behind him and holding the drink out in offering. "Kaiba!"

"Wheeler." Seto waited until Joey had taken the hot chocolate, and then he came around to the other side of the bench and sat beside the blond. "Why did you stop the game?" he asked, and he snorted in annoyance when Joey merely shrugged. "Hn. It figured you wouldn't see it through to the end."

"It's not that!" Joey exclaimed indignantly. "It just...felt different this year. I didn't want to, I dunno, take a dump in a box and mail you that. Somehow, it wouldn't have been as funny to me. And I figured you'd think it was stupid if I sent you something normal, and I didn't want you to make fun of me."

Seto hid the smile behind his cup as he took a sip, but he couldn't hide the twinkle in his eyes. "I make fun of you all the time, Wheeler."

"Yeah, but it's usually because I've done something stupid." Joey shrugged. "I guess I didn't want you to for something I was being serious about."

"Huh." Seto was quiet for a while as he drank his coffee, and he smiled when he saw that Joey had started on his hot chocolate. "I won't make fun of you for that, Wheeler. I guess...I guess I kind of felt a little bit different about it this year, too. Look, I'm not really one for a lot of sap and all that mushy, marshmallowy bullshit, but I think it's safe to say that you and I, we have a unique relationship. Yeah, you annoy me, but I can be normal around you. I can be Seto Kaiba, the teenager, and I don't have to be Seto Kaiba, the CEO. It's not something I get to be very often. And I like it. What we have, it's something that's more than a friendship, but I'm not exactly sure just what yet. Maybe one of these days, we'll find out." He leaned over then, and grasping Joey's chin with his fingers, he gave him a long, deep kiss. "Thanks, Wheeler. Merry Christmas."

Seto could see the wheels turning in Joey's mind as he tried to process what had just happened, and while the blond gaped at him, he got to his feet. He swirled his cup slowly, and then finished off the contents, and as he threw it into the garbage bin, a slow smile curved his lips upward. His expression widened when he saw Joey follow suit. "By the way, I put a laxative in your hot chocolate. It should take effect sometime tonight."

Joey's eyes went wide, and he pressed his fingers against his belly. "What? Why?"

Seto shrugged. "Mostly because you pissed me off by ending the game prematurely."

Joey goggled. "You're shitting me!"

"No, but by tomorrow, I'd bet that you will be." He smirked, then turned and gave a half-hearted wave as he walked away. "Later, Wheeler."

Joey's eyes widened further. He wouldn't put it past Seto to do something like that out of spite. But at the same time, he also knew it was the brunet's style to say something like that simply to fuck with him. "Kaiba! You fucking bastard!" he shouted, wondering if the slight roil he felt in his gut was real or psychosomatic.

The brunet's laughter floated back to him, and Joey thought about the kiss they had shared. He was _fairly_ certain that Seto was only kidding, but he really didn't want to take the chance. Getting to his feet, he walked quickly for home, all the while telling himself that if he got sick, come Valentine's Day, Seto was going to pay.


End file.
